Tag Archives: kirk franklin

The night’s big winners gather for a photo at the 2012 BMI Christian Awards in Nashville. Pictured are (l-r): BMI’s Mike O’Neill; Universal Music Publishing Group’s Dale Matthews (accepting Song of the Year Award for Kirk Franklin); Publisher of the Year, EMI CMG Publishing’s Eddie DeGarmo; Christian Songwriters of the Year Kyla Rowland, tobyMac, and Chris Stevens; and BMI’s Jody Williams and Phil Graham. (Photo by John Russell)

For the third consecutive year, Christian music star TobyMac was named BMI’s Christian Songwriter of the Year Tuesday night at the BMI Christian Music Awards, held at the performing rights organization’s offices in Nashville — but this year, he shared the honor with four other hit songsmiths.

Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall, singer/songwriter Matt Maher, Southern gospel star Kyla Rowland and producer/songwriter Chris Stevens were also named Songwriter of the Year at the awards ceremony, which celebrates the past year’s most-performed songs in Christian music. The five shared the honors, as each wrote or co-wrote two of the most performed songs of the year.

Gospel star Kirk Franklin took home the award for Christian Song of the Year for his hit “I Smile,” and EMI CMG Publishing was named Christian Publisher of the Year with the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs.

Jason Crabb celebrates after winning the Dove Award for artist of the year at the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards on Thursday at Atlanta's Fox Theater (John Bazemore / Associated Press).

ATLANTA (AP) — Christian singer Jason Crabb might not have won all of the awards he was nominated under, but he certainly came away with the two most prominent categories for a male artist.

Crabb went home with artist and male vocalist of the year awards Thursday night. The 43rd Dove Awards show for Christian and gospel music will air on April 24 for GMC, formerly the Gospel Music Channel. The awards show was held at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta for the second straight year.

"It just blows my mind," Crabb said shortly after the show. "It hasn't sunk in just yet. I'm proud to be in the family of God, and proud to be his kid. I can't believe it. I want to challenge other people and other kids this: Go after your dreams, pursue them. God is behind you."Continue reading →

Local gospel singer Jason Crabb earned eight nominations, more than any other artist, when nominees were revealed for the 43rd annual Dove Awards in Atlanta on Wednesday.

“I was so excited,” Crabb said. “I couldn’t believe it. It was very surprising. I’m on cloud nine right now, maybe even 10 or 11.”

The Dove Awards, which Crabb describes as the equivalent of Christian and gospel music’s Grammy Awards, will be held April 19. For the second year in a row, the ceremony will happen at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre instead of Nashville, which is home to the awards show’s governing body, the Gospel Music Association, and served as location of the awards show for more than four decades until last year.

Gospel singer/composer VaShawn Mitchell swept six categories, more than any other artist, to become Saturday night’s big winner at the 27th annual Stellar Awards, which were held at the Grand Ole Opry House and will air on television in syndication Saturday through Feb. 26 on the GMC cable network.

Mitchell collected wins for artist of the year, male vocalist of the year, contemporary male vocalist of the year, and praise and worship CD of the year for his album Triumphant, and urban/inspirational single or performance of the year and music video of the year for “Nobody Greater” from Triumphant.

Marvin Sapp and Dorinda Clark Cole hosted the show, which celebrates gospel music and is characterized on the website as a “spirit-filled, hand-clapping, foot-stomping revival.” True to the description, the program was full of soaring performances from Kirk Franklin, Earnest Pugh, Fred Hammond, Ricky Dillard & New G, Richard Smallwood & Vision and other groups as well as choir performances that frequently had people up dancing or moved them to tears. Continue reading →

BMI and a slew of gospel music stars honored gospel greats Kirk Franklin and Hezekiah Walker at the 13th annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon, held at Rocketown in Nashville on Fri., January 13.

The performing rights organization also named Marvin Sapp's "The Best In Me" BMI’s Most-Performed Gospel Song of the Year. Sapp surprised the invitation-only audience at the luncheon with a performance of his award-winning song, joining a roster of additional performers that included Wess Morgan, William McDowell, Earnest Pugh and Vashawn Mitchell.

Gospel music stars and industry have assembled in Nashville this week for the 27th Annual Stellar Awards, which takes place at the Grand Ole Opry House on Jan. 14.

Chicago singer, songwriter and worship leader VaShawn Mitchell leads the pack of nominees for the 27th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which were announced Saturday night during a live telecast from Nashville’s NorthStar Studios.

Mitchell, with 10 nominations for his 2011 album Triumphant, is trailed by gospel vets Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin with six nods apiece and progressive gospel artist Deitrick Haddon, who earned five nominations for his Church on the Moon album.

The Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be taped before a live audience January 14 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Hosted by Dorinda Clark Cole and Marvin Sapp, the show will include performances from James Fortune, Kirk Franklin, Jessica Reedy, Earnest Pugh, Richard Smallwood and Vision, Martha Munizzi, LeAndria Johnson, Lecrae, Canton Jones, Kim Burrell, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., Fred Hammond and Ricky Dillard.

But as siblings BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans embark on a week of shows that will wind up at New York's Madison Square Garden, the entity we know as "BeBe & CeCe" is nearing its end.

That's no big surprise: The Middle Tennessee-based duo -- whose polished R&B sound helped transform the gospel genre in the '80s and '90s -- has already spent the past decade on and off the scene, reconvening in 2009 for the Grammy-winning album Still.

But this time really is it.

"I feel like my first curtain call has happened, and this is part of it," says BeBe, 48. "Time really does pass by fast. Most people retire after about 25 years, and I'm at that age where it's time to retire BeBe & CeCe as we know it."

"We're getting older, and there are other things we want to do beyond music," says 46-year-old CeCe, who has maintained a successful solo career, founded the annual "Always Sisters Forever Brothers" youth conference, and aims to launch a clothing line in 2012. "Will BeBe and CeCe do other stuff together? I'm sure we will. But is it something we're going to drive and try to work? Not anymore."Continue reading →

The Winans collectively won four awards — including contemporary female vocalist of the year for CeCe and song of the year for the BeBe-penned “Close to You” — at the show, which was held for the sixth consecutive year at the Grand Ole Opry House.

Also taking home four awards was the evening’s top winner, Marvin Sapp, who was named artist of the year. Right behind Sapp was 2011’s most-nominated act: Houston’s James Fortune & FIYA, whose three wins included group of the year.

Connecticut choir J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise opened the show with its popular worship song “Lord You’re Mighty.” Other highlights included Beverly Crawford, who ignited the room with a rousing rendition of “It’s About Time For a Miracle,” and Chicago’s Joshua’s Troop, who pulled out its irresistibly funky praise song “Everybody Clap Your Hands.”

Another Chicagoan, VaShawn Mitchell, sang his gospel radio chart-topper “Nobody Greater,” and Louisiana family band forever JONES performed “He Wants It All” after being named contemporary group of the year.Continue reading →

Don’t be surprised if you hear some seriously spirited voices soaring from Music City this weekend. For three days, Nashville becomes the center of the gospel music world, thanks to Saturday’s 26th annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, a star-studded, televised awards show honoring the best in the genre.

Among the gospel greats up for honors are Middle Tennessee’s own BeBe and CeCe Winans, as well as Fred Hammond, James Fortune & Fiya and Marvin Sapp. The awards show started in Chicago but has been held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville for the past six years.

But the Stellars are more than just a show. It’s also part convention and part celebration. BMI and ASCAP will host luncheons at Rocketown and Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort, while local promoter Urban Soul Cafe is mounting a full weekend of events that includes a concert at Mercy Lounge and a movie premiere at Visions Production Studio.

To the awards show’s executive producer, Don Jackson of Chicago-based Central City Productions, these side events are a sign of the Stellars’ relevance.

“The Stellar Awards are the catalyst for bringing them all together,” he said.Continue reading →

The Voices of Destiny and All Star Choirs will pay tribute to special honorees Donald Lawrence and Kirk Franklin, respectively, while the Soul Seekers with the Williams Brothers and the Rance Allen Group will perform a "medley of inspirational favorites."